"What?!" Shen Guoliang could hardly believe his ears.

He looked at Xiao Zhao, his eyes sharp: "What's wrong with you?!"

Xiao Zhao quickly stood at attention: "General, you kept this from me, which is why I resorted to this desperate measure! I am willing to accept any punishment! I am willing to apologize to Doctor Su! I will deeply apologize!"

As he spoke, he bowed deeply to Su Ruyi.

"We'll talk about your matter later. I'm really anxious to get back. I think I saw my fifth brother on the back mountain this morning!" Su Ruyi had no choice but to say it.

"Your fifth brother who's been missing for over a month?!" Shen Guoliang exclaimed in surprise. "Did you see him clearly?"

"I didn't even get a good look before Xiao Zhao brought me here!" Su Ruyi said irritably.

"Xiao Fang, you take two people and immediately send Doctor Su back! Help her look for her in the back mountain!" Shen Guoliang immediately gave the order, then put on a smile for Su Ruyi, "Well... I'll take care of this first... I'll come to your village later to apologize, okay?"

"Fine." Su Ruyi said coldly, and left with Xiao Fang.

Jiang Chunlai's resentful gaze was fixed on Su Ruyi's back, as if he wanted to burn two holes in her.

As soon as the jeep entered the village, a villager stopped it: "Dr. Su, hurry! Grandpa Jin wants you to go back right away, he says your fifth brother has been found!"

Su Ruyi burst into tears. She yanked open the car door, got out of the jeep, and ran wildly. In less than three minutes, she was back in Jin Dachun's yard.

Two young people, a man and a woman, sat at the stone table in the courtyard.

The man was indeed Su Tie, still with his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, his piercing gaze fixed on her.

The girl looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old. She was unfamiliar with the girl, a bit frail, but had a pretty face.

Upon seeing Su Ruyi, Su Tie immediately stood up and opened his arms.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Su Ruyi rushed over and buried her head in her fifth brother's arms.

"Ruyi!" Su Tie choked up, "Little Ruyi! Little Ruyi has grown so much..."

"Fifth Brother..." Su Ruyi's tears also broke free, but she still had to act. "Where did you go?! I thought you were gone... How did you find me?"

“Li Wang brought her here!” Su Tie said, releasing Su Ruyi and leading her to the girl sitting at the stone table. “Ruyi, let me introduce you. This is my savior!”

A savior?

What's going on?

"Her name is Ding Xiuping. She found me unconscious and brought me back to life!"

Su Tie looked at Ding Xiuping with very gentle eyes.

Su Ruyi understood that look all too well. In the occasional flashbacks she had, Zhong Su from her previous five lives had looked at her with that same gaze.

Su Ruyi went through it in her mind three or four times, but still couldn't remember having such a person in her past life.

etc……

Ding Xiuping?

Why does her name sound so similar to that of Ding Xiuling, the wife of Fifth Brother who was forced into buying and selling?

Su Ruyi frowned and asked, "Ding Xiuping? What's her relationship with Ding Xiuling?"

Su Tie's expression changed instantly: "She...she is Ding Xiuling's younger sister."

Ding Xiuling's younger sister?

Su Ruyi suddenly realized—it was Old Man Ding's illegitimate daughter!

The product of Old Man Ding's one-night stand!

Her mother died in childbirth, and Ding's father lied to Wang Meiju, saying that he had picked up a child from the riverbank.

Wang Meiju thought about it and kept the person, treating her like a maid since she was a child.

As a result, when Ding Xiuping grew to be seven or eight years old, the upper half of her face looked more and more like her deceased mother, while the lower half of her face looked exactly like her father.

And so the scandal came to light.

Because Wang Meiju couldn't tolerate Ding Xiuping, she spread rumors that Ding Xiuping would bring misfortune to her family members, making up many detailed stories. Later, everyone in the village avoided her like the plague.

From the age of seven or eight, she had always lived alone in a small shack by the Dading River!

Su Ruyi had only heard Wang Chuntao mention the girl once or twice, but she had never actually met her.

Did she save Fifth Brother?

Su Ruyi felt like her lungs were about to explode with anger: "Where did she rescue you from? How did she rescue you?"

“Brother Tie…” Ding Xiuping tugged at Su Tie’s sleeve, her eyes timidly avoiding Su Ruyi’s gaze, her voice trembling with tears, “Your sixth sister is so fierce! Does she…does she not like me?”

This tea has a much deeper flavor than the aged Sumanao tea.

Upon hearing her words, Su Tie looked at Su Ruyi with reproach in his eyes: "Ruyi, not all members of the Ding family are bad! Xiuping is my savior, you can't be rude to her!"

"How exactly did she save you?" Su Ruyi asked, rolling her eyes inwardly. She was even more furious with Xiao Zhao and Shen Guoliang, because it was their sudden situation that gave this little green tea bitch an opportunity to take advantage of her!

“I… my fourth sister and the others… they…” Ding Xiuping hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

“Let me tell you. Ruyi, I’m not afraid you’ll laugh at your fifth brother now—I was tricked by the Ding family and forced to marry their Ding Xiuling. They beat me many times, and when they couldn’t subdue me, they dragged me to the back mountain to kill me to silence me.” Su Tie’s facial muscles twitched, showing that he was trying his best to control his emotions.

"When I found Tie Ge, he was lying unconscious in the grass on the back hill."

Ding Xiuping added, "I brought him back to my shack and cared for him for several days. I even made a special sled so that when the weather was nice, I could take him to the back mountain to sunbathe. And today, he woke up while sunbathing!"

Su Ruyi watched the two of them without saying a word.

Sutie concealed the part about falling off the cliff and eating canned food in the armory, which is understandable, since there would be no benefit in revealing such a thing.

Of course, it's also possible that he was not fully conscious and forgot everything.

As for Ding Xiuping, that's complete nonsense.

It's obvious that she found the cycads while doing something in the back mountain and then took advantage of the opportunity.

Just then, Xiao Fang walked in with two soldiers, all three carrying guns.

Ding Xiuping cried out in surprise and threw herself into Su Tie's arms.

Su Tie naturally embraced her.

Xiao Fang ignored the two men: "Dr. Su, let's set off now to find your fifth brother. Where did you see him?"

“This is my fifth brother.” Su Ruyi pointed to Su Tie, who was tightly protecting Ding Xiuping.

"Found it? That's great! Well... we'll be going now." After saying that, Xiao Fang and the two soldiers saluted Su Ruyi again. "Please don't mind what happened this morning, Dr. Su!"

Su Ruyi nodded without saying anything more, and the three of them left.

"Ruyi, when did you become a doctor?" Su Tie asked in a low voice.

Ding Xiuping pursed her lips and remained silent.

"Fifth Brother, you and Ding Xiuping must be... old acquaintances, right?" Su Ruyi asked back. She originally wanted to say "old lovers," but she held back and said "old acquaintances."

Su Ruyi was furious—that Ding Xiuping really knew how to steal things from others!

At this moment, Ding Xiuping's eyes were full of smugness. She glanced at Su Tie with affection, then cleared her throat and prepared to speak.